He carries a resume that includes a first team All-America designation, an ACC Player of the Year award and a Most Outstanding Player honor for the NCAA Final Four after leading Maryland to the national championship.

Those are the types of credentials that once assured a player of a very high position in any NBA Draft. But Dixon has been spoken of – when mentioned at all – as a low first-round selection, maybe even a second-round choice.

“I think that whoever drafts me late in the first round is getting a steal,” said Dixon, the Baltimore native who worked out for the Nets Tuesday.

And maybe the Nets will be the team stealing at No. 24.

As the draft inched ever closer last night, the Nets still were considering numerous scenarios, not the least of which was trading away the pick to avoid a three-year first-round guaranteed contract. There were some players the Nets hoped would plunge to them, but with nearly two dozen teams picking before them, plotting out a definitive picture was impossible.

So there was something somewhat comforting in knowing a player of Dixon’s pedigree figured to be available, if the Nets decided to keep the pick. Dixon might have been a no-brainer for the Nets if they were convinced he could play the point. But Dixon does have one other very important trump card: his big-game experience.

This past season, two rookies, Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins, were huge for the Nets in their run to the Finals. Both credited the big-time atmosphere of the high-profile programs at Arizona and Stanford.

That’s one reason Dixon sees himself as a steal. Another is his versatility.

“Hopefully, I can get into a situation where I can play some point. Or if not, a team drafts me where they want to play me at the two, I’ll have a bigger point guard [in the backcourt],” Dixon said. “But I have no concern. I’m going to work hard and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I’m going to compete. I’ve been doing that my whole life and I’m sure I’ll keep it up.”

Dixon compares his game to Jason Terry of the Hawks.

“We’re pretty similar coming out of college. A lot of people didn’t know if he could play the point and I think our build [is similar]. Not too big, he might be a little stronger than me, but we play the same position. He had to make that transition from two guard to point guard. I think it will work out for me, too.”

Nets team president Rod Thorn praised Dixon’s workout, noting he is “a pretty finished product.” But there were no indications of just what the Nets had in mind.

Last season, the Nets pulled off a daring draft-night trade, swapping No. 7 Eddie Griffith for three first-round selections, including Jefferson and Collins.